The challenge of building the Buda-Pesth Chain Bridge across the icebound Danube

Abstract

The freezing of the Danube over the winter months was a critical influence in the provision and method of construction of what is now the Széchenyi Chain Bridge in Budapest, Hungary, between 1839 and 1849. The bridge of boats connection between the former towns of Buda and Pesth could not operate in the winter months and it was imperative that a permanent structure be built. The major considerations in building the bridge related to the dangers posed by the river freezing over: in particular, choosing a chain bridge with the least number of piers and locating it to take account of the dangers of inundation from river ice. In describing the challenges faced and overcome, the paper makes use of a wealth of material from archives in both Budapest and London. These include the original contract for building the cofferdams, the drawings referred to in the contract, British engineer, William Tierney Clark's own comments and correspondence (particularly with his superintendent engineer Adam Clark) and vivid contemporary accounts of the freezing Danube. It is therefore an amalgam of contract history, civil engineering and cultural history.

The Chain Bridge over the Danube at Budapest, Hungary

“…In March 1838 a devastating flood caused by ice blocking destroyed a large part of Pesth claiming 151 lives and adding urgency to the building of a permanent bridge (Vaci and Vignoles, 2013). In September 1838 the bridge committee signed off the eventual position of the chain bridge and a year later the crown in Vienna agreed (see Figure 4).…”

“…On their return to London they wrote a letter to Tierney Clark reporting in detail about the thickness and movement of the ice sheet during their stay (MOL, N 67/2/85-90). It had been recognised from the start that the major challenge was the icebound nature of the Danube (Vaci and Vignoles, 2013).…”

“…In order to convince the doubters Tierney Clark produced two drawings showing comparisons. One of these was a graphic demonstration of advantages of a chain bridge over either stone The Chain Bridge over the Danube at Budapest, Hungary Vaci or cast-iron arch bridges (Vaci and Vignoles, 2013: Figure 11). Both of these bridge types would have required several piers in the river.…”

“…Indeed, neither the bridge nor its engineer-architect appear to have had the appreciation they deserve. It is therefore gratifying that the editor of Bridge Engineering has decided to include the Chain Bridge, presumably encouraged by three papers from this author over the past few years (Vaci, 2011(Vaci, , 2012Vaci and Vignoles, 2013).…”

Editorial

“…That is no doubt reflected in his joining with Sandor Vaci to write about the Chain Bridge between Buda and Pesth (Vaci and Vignoles, 2013). The history of flooding and ice that preceded its construction provides a useful background and perhaps explains why engineers would be brought so far to build a bridge of relatively modern construction.…”